(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to medical, surgical and wound protective devices and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a combination protective medical guard with self-contained support. The combination having a bidirectional wrap attached to a variable configured dome-shaped housing received over a wound site, over a medical device or infusion site. The bidirectional wrap is used for securing the housing to various site locations on humans and animals.
(b) Discussion of Prior Art
Protective devices serve many purposes in medicine and are critical to the recovery of a patient. Different types of protective devices, some as simple as a plastic cup, help protect the transportation of medications within tubes, surgical drains, implants and vulnerable wound sites. At times, very unstable fractures, such as those of the face, require some protection, but as is obvious, casts cannot be used on the face. As a result, the protection and maintenance of these medical situations are the object of many techniques and devices used in an attempt to minimize the shortcomings of currently used applications. The subject invention addresses the following shortcomings of prior art protective devices, avoids the use or need for adhesives and tape and expands the application by means of a single device:
a. Difficulty with conforming to some anatomic locations, contours and particularly in areas of motion. PA1 b. Adhesive allergies resulting in blisters, rashes, open wounds, scars and permanent pigmentation problems. PA1 c. Inability to adhere in areas of raw tissue. PA1 d. Lack of satisfactory adherence in hair-bearing areas. PA1 e. Not reusable. PA1 f. Pain associated with adhesive material removal. PA1 g. Difficult to maintain in a combative patient or active child. PA1 h. Has reduced effectiveness in moist environments. PA1 i. Damaging in situations with adjacent injuries. PA1 j. Complications from application are additive. PA1 k. Tearing of the health care provider's gloves, resulting in loss of sterility with contamination or disruption of universal wound precautions. PA1 a. A reusable, lightweight and non-allergenic, latex-free protective guard. PA1 b. Easy application and removal without the inherent problems of an adhesive. PA1 c. Universal and functional in a variety of anatomic sites. PA1 d. Usable for virtually any medical condition because of its variable configurations to fit different types of medical needs. PA1 e. The protective guard may be transparent or opaque and includes various lines of weakness for breaking out portions of the guard for entrance and exiting of tubing and other medical devices and ventilation if required. PA1 f. Preserves the integrity of local tissues. PA1 g. Houses the entire site or medical device safely and in all directions affords protection by the nature of its closed housing configuration. The housing can be of various sizes and geometric shapes depending on the application. PA1 h. Customizable to specific patient needs. PA1 i. Application to human and animal clinical medical situations. PA1 j. A closed or open environment compatible for wound healing. PA1 k. A protective guard which does not apply pressure to the wound.
The inventor of the subject patent application is a co-inventor of wound dressing support devices described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,456,660 and 5,662,599 to Shesol et al. These two patents disclose wound dressing support devices for holding a variety of standard wound dressings in place on top of an open wound and without the use of adhesives. Each device includes an elongated bidirectional wrap with a window opening therethrough. Also, this inventor is a co-inventor of an intravenous wound wrap described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,519 to Shesol et al. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,240 to Rozier et al., a plastic infusion site guard is described with a U-shaped base with open end. The infusion site guard is held on the patient using adhesive tape.
While the above mentioned patents describe individually an infusion site guard and the use of bidirectional wraps used to eliminate the use of adhesives, none of these patents individually or in combination teach or suggest the objects, benefits and the unique structure and features of using a stretchable bidirectional wrap for holding a protective guard in place, without the use of adhesive tape, above a wound site, a needle, a stoma, a catheter and other medical devices.